Gunmen stormed a Pakistani checkpost before dawn on Thursday, Jan 26, killing six soldiers, snatching their weapons and escaping in insurgency-hit Baluchistan province, officials said.

Up to a dozen Baluch rebels attacked the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) post in the district of Dera Bugti, about 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran.

"The attackers came before dawn and opened fire on the soldiers after encircling the checkpost. All six soldiers were killed on the spot," a senior security official said on condition of anonymity.

Another security official confirmed the attack and said that about a dozen gunmen were involved in the attack.

"They came on motorcycles and took away all the weapons after killing all the six FC men," he said.

Pakistan uses paramilitary troops in an effort to help maintain law and order in the remote areas of Baluchistan, which has seen a surge in violence linked to a separatist insurgency, sectarian violence and Taliban militants.

Both officials blamed Thursday's attack on Baluch rebels, who rose up in 2004 demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's natural oil, gas and mineral resources, AFP reported.